Apparatus for determining the percentage, by weight, of linters, on cottonseed



Apnl 9, 1940. c. s. SHAW 2,196,613

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE PERCENTAGE,

BY WEIGHT, oELINTERs 0N COTTONSEED Filed June 29, 1938 T -5- EEEHAWPatented Apr. 9, 1940 APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE P ER- CENTAGE, BYWEIGHT, F LINTERS, ON

COTTONSEED Charles Scott Shaw, Leland, Miss.; dedicated to the free useof the of America People of the United States Application June 29, 1938,Serial No. 216,594

'dclaims.

(Granted under the act ofMarch a, 1888, at

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This application is made underthe act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April- America forgovernmental purposes without the payment to meet any royalty thereon.

I hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of thepeople of the United States of America to take effect on the granting ofa patent to me. p

My invention relates to the art employed in ,laboratories for removinglinters from cottonseed by the acid-fuming method, and has for itsgeneral object the provision of a method and apparatus for accuratelydetermining the percentage, by weight, of the linters contained in asample of-cottonseed. v

My invention is an improvement in the acidfuming method of determiningthe percentage of linters on cottonseed; and provides an effective andsimple mechanical apparatus for brushing and sieving several samples ofcottonseed simultaneously, inlieu of brushing, rubbing, and sieving eachsample manually. It also provides a novel and useful means for removingthe linter residue, following completionof the sieving 'process, fromthe containers used beneath the sieves during the process of sieving;and it permits the retention of all of the seed coat fragments in thecontainers, after which said fragments can be combined with the delintedseed for weighing in order to determine more accurately than hasheretofore been possible, the weight of the delinted original sample ofcottonseed prior to delinting. The removal of the linter residue fromthe containers is accomplished without disturbing the seed coatfragments. 40

resides in the small number of elements and their extreme simplicity,which makes it practicaland available for the simultaneous determinationof the linters on a plurality of samples of cotton-. seed.

The following description together with the accompanying drawing willdisclose my invention more fully, and further objects and advantagesthereof will be apparent.

In the drawing: 1 Figure l is a diagrammatic side elevation of mydevice.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the sieve pan holder. Figure 3. is a partialsectional plan view of one of the sieve pans.

seed for comparison with the weight of the An important feature of thepresent invention Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view line 4-4 of Figure2.

Referring with more particularly to the ac- I companying drawing, inwhich like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views;'6 the numeral I designates a belt drive, (source of power not shown)driving a plurality of entrained pulleys 2 by means of the belt 3. Thevertical along the spindles 4, driven by said pulleys 2, extend throughand are supported on the horizontal beam 5 of the inverted U-shapedbearing-support 6 by means of ,rsilitable bearings 2A. Said spindlessupport the horizontally disposed slotted brush-holder bars I which areadjustably secured to the spindles bymeans of the sleeves '8A and thethumbscrews 8. Thestanchions 9 of the bearing-support S are providedwith suitable base support It, such as ordinary-channel iron. Thebrushes H, having bristles of suitable acid resisting material, areadjustably connected to the brush-holder bars I by means of theshouldered bolt and wing nut assemblies 12 positioned within the slotsl3 of brush-holder bars I and the slots ll of brush bars. By these meansan orbital motion is imparted to the brush bristles, concentric with andin juxtaposition to the spherical inner surfaces of the hemisphericalsieves l5 upon rotation of thespindles 4. The hemispherical sieves l5,of suitable acid resisting material, are suspended and removablysecuredin the cylindrical sieve pans I6, also of acid resisting material, bymeans of outwardly extending flange members I! resting on the upperedges of said sieve pans l8, and in frictional contact'between portionsof the outer surfaces of sieves I! with the upper inner side wallsurfaces of the pans IS. The sieve pans ii are provided at their lowerbases with outwardly extending flanges it having notches, 19 formedtherein for engagement with the substantially semi-circular undercutrecesses 20 and pins 2|, respectively, of the split sieve pan holder 22(Fig. 2). The sieve pan holder 22 consists of two flat bar members 23and 24, provided with the oppositely disposed substantiallysemi-circular notches 25 and undercut recesses 20 concentric thereto,the pins 2|, the hinges 26, and it is adapted to secure and removablyretain the sieve pans It inposition beneath the brush-holder bars I. Themember 23 of the'p'an holder 22 is firmly attached to the rear on theupper surface of the pan support shelf 21 which is secured at its 'ends28 and 29 to the stanchions 9. The hinged member 24 of the pan holder 22is held in position forward of the fixed member 23 on the upper surfaceof the g5 pan support shelf 21 by means of the hinges 26 fastened to thepan support shelf.

In practice my invention may be employed, following the customarylaboratory procedure of exposing the sample of cottonseed to the actionof acid in porous fuming pots, by transferring the treated masses ofcottonseed to the sieves l suspended in the sieve pans It, then insertng the sieve pans within the semi-circular notches 25 of the pan holdermember 23 so that the pan flanges [8 lie within the semi-circularrecesses 20 and the pins 2| are in engagement with the flange notchesIS. The pan holder hinged member 24 is then lowered into position,thereby securing the sieve pads in operating position beneath the brushholders 1. The brush holders 1, being fitted to the spindles 4, areadjusted vertically for the approximately desired depth of the brushes lI within the sieves I 5 by manipulation of the thumbscrews 8. The finaladjustment of the brushes H, vertically for depth and horizontally foreccentricity with respect to the center of the sieves, is accomplishedby manipulation of the shouldered bolt and wing nut assemblies i2 withinthe slots l3 and It. The process of brushing the linter residue from theacid treated cottonseeds is accomplished by rotating the brush assembly7, ll, l2, when properly set, at a moderate rate of speed so that thebristles of the brushes will cause the various seeds to ride part way upthe hemispherical inner surfaces of the sieves l5 in an irregularlyrolling motion only to drop back again to the bottom of the sieves wherethey will again be caught up in the motion of other seed and the processrepeated. The combined brushing and scrubbing action of the cottonseedby the brush bristles and inner surfaces of the sieves is continueduntil the acid treated seed are freed of all the linter residue which inturn pass through the sieves together with fragments of cottonseed coat,resultant to the agitation, and are collected in the sieve pans IS, thedelinted samples of cot tonseed remaining in the sieves' [5. After thebrushing and sieving process is completed, the sieve and pan units areremoved from the pan holders. The mixture of linter residue and seedcost fragments remaining in the sieve pans is separated by winnowing outthe linter residue, thus retaining the seed coat fragments intact in thesieve pans for subsequent combination with the respective delinted seedfor weight determinations. The separation of the linter residue from theseed coat fragments is accomplished by gently shaking a sieve pan andits contents in a rotary motion in an induced current of air, such asmay be derived from an electric fan, so that the agitation of thecontents exposed to the air currents will cause the relatively lightlinter residue to be blown out of the sieve panthe heavier seed coatfragments remaining intact in the said structure, means on said tablefor removably securing a cylindrical container, a substantiallyhemispherical sieve removably secured through the top of said container,abrush disposed in contact with.said sieve eccentric to its verticalaxis, means for revolving said brush about said axis, and means foradjusting the' eccentricity of said brush with respect to said axis.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a frame structure,a table secured to said structure, means on said'table for removablysecuring a cylindrical container, a substantially hemispherical sieveremovably secured through the top of said container, a brush disposed incontact with said sieve eccentric to its vertical axis, means forrevolving said brush in a path concentric to said axis, and means foradjusting the eccentricity of said brush with respect to said axis.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a frame structure,a table secured to said structure, means on said table for removablysecuring a cylindrical container, a substantially hemispherical sieveremovably secured through the top of said container, a brush disposed incontact with said sieve eccentric to its vertical axis, means forrevolving said brush about said axis, means for adjusting theeccentricity of said brush with respect to said axis, and means foradjusting said brush on thesurface of said sieve in selected positionsof eccentricity.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a framestructure,a table secured to said structure, means on said table for removablysecuring a cylindrical container, a substantially hemispherical sieveremovably secured through the top of said container, 9. brush disposedincontact with said sieve eccentric to its vertical axis, means forrevolving said brush in a path concentric to said axis, means foradjusting the eccentricity of said brush with respect to said axis, andmeans for adjusting said brush on the surface of said sieve in selectedpositions of eccentricity.

CHARLES SCO'I'I SHAW.

